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Filet of Flounder pouched in white wine

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Last night I made fish. Which is something I rarely get to do. Jennifer rarely eats fish. I had some frozen flounder filets in my freezer that needed to be cooked because I was tired of moving them around to get to other stuff.

I started by using my Pyrex loaf pan for this. To that, I added ½ cup of wine and ½ cup of water. Then I added 4 flounder filets and 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. I added a pinch of black pepper. Next time I will use white pepper because, I dont like to see the black specks. I then put it in a hot oven (400 degrees). The tricky part was waiting for it to start cooking. Again, next time I will heat the pouching liquid up bringing to a simmer first in a saucepot then pour it over the fish and then place it in the oven. 

I made Basmati rice while I was waiting and drank some of the wine. I should have used a Chardonnay wine but had none on hand so I substituted Pinot Grigio. I don’t think I could tell in the end but someone else might.

When the fish was done I removed the pouching liquid to a pan and reduced it down so there was only about a ¼ cup left. I made a Hollandaise sauce next but instead of the lemon juice; I used the reduced pouching liquid.

I meted butter into the rice and placed it on the plate. On top of the rice, I placed the pouched fish filet. Then I poured the sauce over the top and served it with a glass of the pinot I used to cook the fish. I was too lazy to make a vegetable. Asparagus would have been my choice.

Until next time, enjoy your Sunday

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

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Saturday

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Good morning. Coffee is on. Happy Saturday. I myself have a long “To Do” list this weekend along with a problem I am trying to resolve at work. So if I can I will be working on that. Not to mention I need to do some cooking and some baking! Here in New York it has been in the seventies. Lovely weather for a picnic and a bottle of wine. Terrible for baking and eating soup. It is so nice I might be forced outside to the barbeque grill somthing. Whatever I do you will here about. For instance, I had this great idea for “Oktoberfest Month” at work, so I made a loin of pork, plus Kielbasa with Sauerkraut cooked in a bit of apple juice. Do to the lack of time to cook pork it needed to be done in the Insta-pot. The loin of pork turned out amazing. Yum, but the kielbasa burst open and although it tasted okay was not very appetizing looking. So this recipe needs to be tweaked a bit but for going into the cookbook.

I am planning on making a big pot of soup Sunday for Monday’s lunch crowd at work. The spooking, the spicy, the famous Cuban Black Bean Soup. Tuesday, I want to do a Cuban Panini. So today I will be shopping and running around to other errands before hitting the grill and the beers later.

Sunday, I am also hopping to be cooking a birthday dinner for someone special if she does not already have plans. Jennifer will be texting her today to find out if she would like to come over and celebrate her birthday with us. I don’t even know what I making yet. I will have Jennifer ask what her favorite meal is and cook that.

That’s all for now. As usual, I will post what I cook and eat what can or is it drink what I can? Either way stay tuned for more “American Cookery” and drunken debauchery coming your way!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

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The Morning Ritual

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Good morning. I started my morning by flipping my meat for sauerbraten and squeezing my bag of goo for friendship bread. Then making coffee. Some would say I’m living the dream and life doesn’t get much better!  I say I still could have used that $700 million dollar lottery ticket and do some real good.

Last night was salad and meatballs for Jennifer (pictured above). She ate the meatballs but not all the salad. I had leftover steak from the Carriage House Restaurant, a salad (I made) and roasted potatoes. I’m am sorry to say but I like my steak better but this was good.

After dinner I cleaned up and made Minestrone soup. This is lunch for the crew at work. I hope it tastes as good as it smells. I have not tried it yet. I can add salt or whatever at work if need be when I do finally taste it. I never usually serve a dish to a guest with out tasting it first…

Well I’m to work. Enjoy your day and enjoy your soup! The Drunken Chef (Russ)  

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Gravy from Pan Drippings

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INGREDIENTS:

4 Cups chicken, turkey or beef stock

4 tablespoons Wondra flour

1 tsp. Gravy Master

Salt

Pepper

Wisk 4 tablespoons of flour into 2 cups of room temperature stock or a ¼ cup water. Heat the remaining stock in the pan from the turkey or roast scraping the bottom of the pan. Then whisk the flour mixture into warm pan drippings over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Add only a few drops of Gravy Master to darken gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour through strainer into an insulated gravy boat/pitcher.

NOTES Serve with Roasted Chicken or BBQ/Oven Turkey Breast. At Thanksgiving I make my own Turkey Stock: In a medium size pot with neck and 4 cups of water, one onion quartered and one carrot quartered and bring it to a boil.  Cook for one hour and strain.

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BEEF SHORT RIBS (Insta-Pot)

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Beef Short Ribs (Insta-Pot)

Serves 4  – 6

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Insta-Pot

INGREDIENTS

2 packages short

2 cups of beef broth

2 carrots (sliced one inch thick)

2 stalks celery (sliced one inch thick)

1 large onion (cut in half)

2 cloves garlic (whole)

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS

Begin by trimming excess fat off the tops of the short ribs. Brown the ribs on both sides with the insta-pot set to Sauté. Remove the ribs to a plate. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with 2 cups of beef broth. Add the celery, carroras, onion and garlic. Layer on the short ribs. Cover and cook on the stew/beef setting for one hour. Let cool. When steam is released, they are ready to serve.

NOTES: After one hour. While the ribs are cooling off so you can open the lid, prepare the Mashed Potatoes.

Serve with a Espagnole Sauce aka Brown Gravy.

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

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Beef Short Rib Saturday

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Good Sunday morning. It is with a delicious cup of coffee in hand that I write about the wonderful fall day yesterday. It started out as any Saturday, not being able to sleep in anymore. I guess you hit a certain age and you just don’t need as much sleep I suppose.

I woke up, made my coffee and wrote my blog post. To which I still need to post the those recipes. Then I made breakfast and got dressed to go out. Breakfast was easy. Jen: leftover Chinese food. Me: Egg and cheese on an English muffin.

Jen had decided on a fair she thought was happening in Sayville. As she got ready she texted our friend Allyssa to see if she would like to join us. We would all be ready in 20 minutes when Jennifer needed to get my mother in-laws mail mailed down to Florida. Oh yes, did I mention my mother in-law is now down in Florida at her own house? She is, I’m happy. Anyhow, this made us a tad late and left Allyssa sitting and waiting for us on our porch. We also found out, upon returning to the house, the Saville apple fair was canceled. Damn!

We were all hungry now as it was an hour after Jens Chinese food and me having only a tiny egg sandwich. Soooo for “brunch” I ordered us all some heroes from Hometown Hero’s.

We ate and the sandwiches were yummy. Now it was off to a “craft fair” close by. This was a much smaller version of the craft fair that happens behind the library in the same town every year. The original library fair was canceled and the church held this one, only there was no food. Boohoo. I love food from any fall fair.

That meant apple picking. We tried to find a place close by without having to get into the mess and traffic that is out east. (Shiver) We drove North and tried a few farms but alas non of them had apples, much less apple picking. All except one that had a small stand of apples for $1.99 a pound so we picked up some. Along the way we also got candy apples and cider doughnuts. Now with some snacks in the car it was time to head back home.

We lounged in the back yard under a big maple tree and enjoyed the breeze as we ate our apple cider doughnuts.

Later for dinner, I made Beef Short Ribs, Mashed Potatoes and

Steamed Broccoli.

You can still follow me on INSTAGRAM: HTTPS://WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/DRUNKENCHEF82

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

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Day 10 – The Friendship Bread Adventure

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It’s day 10! Yea! It has been a week and a half since I decided to start this whole baking thing. Well no baking yet, just squeezing a bag.

I am going live tonight to bake the friendship bread that I have now been cultivating for ten days. To follow along you can print the recipe today here:  FRIENDSHIP BREAD

Now I’m off too work early and I will be back at see you all at 7:00PM EDT on INSTAGRAM: HTTPS://WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/DRUNKENCHEF82

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

PS – I am still looking for a camera crew and film editor for my YouTube Chanel if anyone is interested, unless I crash and burn tonight live.

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Day 5 – The Friendship Bread Adventure

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Welcome to day 5. I made the coffee and gave my goo a squeeze. Now to anyone who has not read this magazine article/blog before that might sound a bit odd but the rest of you following along know that my goo is the friendship bread starter that has been percolating for five days now, along with my coffee. It’s doing well so far as it sits on my counter. It is still just 1-cup of flour, 1-cup of milk and 1-cup of sugar that I added some yeast too. It all started 5 days ago here with this recipe:

Friendship Bread Starter.

Last night was not all that exciting either, unless you like the homemade hamburgers that I have cooked many times before. I did not make anything new so I am slowly falling behind in writing about 291 recipes. I goal I set out to complete in a year but fear not good readers. I see a great many fall recipes on the horizon! Mourn not for yesterday because it has passed nor yearn for tomorrow and all its possibilities but live in the moment that is now and enjoy it. All that just means my coffee is ready!

Today we are on the cusp between the end of summer and the beginning of fall. It is still barbeque weather and beautiful barbeque weather it is as the temperatures drop to the perfect mid-seventies.   Now is the best time to get my fire pit going but first I have to split some wood. Splitting all the wood in the great big woodpile in my back yard has been a project I have been working on for two years. The pile of wood is from when I had the last thirty feet of my yard cleared out of brush and trees. Leaving only one tree behind. I mistake I now regret as there is a pool there that I did not count on and every day the leaves fall in it. Anyhow, I have to get rid of this wood pile before it starts attracting termites. I have to split it by hand because I do not own a gas powdered log splitter. I could use the exercise too I suppose but that is completely off the topic of food. It does seem like Jennifer and I have been eating nothing but beef and pasta for the past two weeks so today I am in the mood for either chicken or fish. Jennifer is not a big fish eater so that leaves chicken. The question then will be what chicken dish have I not made that Jennifer will eat. People say there are so few surprises in life. To that I say – Ha!

On a side note. I am off from work today and it is going to rain. Therefore, I will have to find something indoors to keep myself busy. Like returning bottles and cans the recycling machines. I am living the dream people! Housework, yard work and bottle returns. It’s a good thing I didn’t dream big about being a celebrity chef or famous author or I would be sorely disappointed. I am just happy cooking for my family, friends and coworkers. Besides, I do not have the good looks of Chef Boyardee or the writing skills of Dr. Seuss or Charles Schulz so here I am in suburbia writing a blog and making Friendship Bread.  Take that Warren Buffet!

Until tomorrow, may your Thursday be pleasant, your food be delicious and your beer be awe-inspiring!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

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Day 3 – The Friendship Bread Adventure

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  • Friendship bread starter in a Zip Lock Bag

It is day thee of the friendship bread adventure. The Starter is doing well eating the sugar and flour and making carbon dioxide in the process. It just bubbling away. I transferred it to a zip lock bag and there is nothing to do but squeeze the bag now for a few more days. By the way, my wife thinks I’m nuts for starting this now.

Breakfast yesterday was easy. I toasted a bagel I got at 6am from the bagel place down the road. There are three bagel shops in this town but only one makes a decent New York City bagel. I had butter on mine and spread peanut butter on Jennifer’s. Lunch was nothing to speak of as I just picked up two roast beef sandwiches at the deli by work. I gave one to Jennifer and kept one for myself. I had plain potato chips, a Snapple iced tea and no pickle.

Dinner went well. It was the same meal as the night before, marinated skirt steak with all the trimmings. It was really good. This is best skirt steak I’ve had in a really long time, at home. For dessert, I wanted something different then ice cream. First, I wanted brownies, but alas I had no walnuts. I didn’t want brownies without nuts so I turned to the cake mixes. CUPCAKES! I thought. I searched for a can of chocolate icing next, being too lazy to make my own from scratch. That would be, as they say, a deal breaker. I found it-hidden among the cholates chips of all different sizes, shapes and flavors now. In addition to the frosting, there were all kids of nuts, everything expect walnuts. I held the last can of milk chocolate frosting in my hand and smiled widely; as I spotted the cupcake holders too. I went to work mixing up the batter with my electric mixer. Eggs, oil, water, yellow cake mix, ka-bam, batter! I poured the batter into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup to making filling the cupcake holders easier and faster. In no time, I had cupcakes in the oven. I did the dishes and turned on the dishwasher. Then just like that, they were done!

Now, have you ever waited for cupcakes to cool so you could frost them? It seems like they take for forever to cool! I waited and paced, like an expectant father in the waiting room. That does not happen anymore, now does it?! Nope, your ass, better be in that delivery room! (Tangent) Back.

The cupcakes were cool enough and I frosted them up. Hmmm. They needed something for a little pop, Nonpareils! I had a brand new unopened container of the little suckers and sprinkled some on top of the icing. Then I sent out some INSTAGRAM photos with the caption: “guess what I’m making?” I immediately received some responses. One of them was: Are you making cupcakes to bring into the office? Honestly, the cupcakes were for me, but, yes, I have them packed up and ready to go into the office this morning.

Well I’m off to work. If you’re just tuning in you can quickly catch up by reading about or better yet getting, the recipe for the starter here:

TH FRIENDSHIP BREAD ADVENTURE

So much to cook so little time.

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

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CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE RECIPE

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Happy Friday! This recipe dates back to the early1970’s when my mother made the Thanksgiving Day vegetables of broccoli and cauliflower. She would pour this sauce over the top of these two cruciferous vegetables to get us to eat them. After my mother made this sauce for the first time, I thought these two vegetables were now yummy! That was a big deal coming from a young teenager!

I adopted this recipe recently for those Stuffed Baked Potatoes I made earlier in the week.

Cheddar Cheese Sauce

        Serves 8

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Pot, measuring cup, wire whisk

Chef’s Knife

Cutting Board

INGREDIENTS

3 – 4 Tablespoons Flour (Wondra Brand) if using All-purpose 2 to 3 tablespoons

2 cups whole Milk

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Kraft or Sargento) (16 oz. package)

½ tsp White Pepper

(Add 8 to 16 ounces more cheese when using sauce for Stuffed Baked Potatoes)

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the flour into 2 cup of cold milk.  Heat milk and flour mixture in a heavy saucepan over medium heat while continuing to stir.  When sauce begins to thicken, slowly add in the cheese by the handful. Continue stirring over medium- low heat constantly until cheese is incorporated. When all the cheese has been incorporated and hot. Remove from heat and serve over steamed vegetables. Sauce may break (separate) upon reheating or overheating.

NOTES: Try this sauce over the steamed broccoli or cauliflower. DON’T use nonfat cheese or your sauce will bit gritty, also high heat will “break” the sauce. 

If a sauce breaks, one remedy to fixing it is by adding a few teaspoons of its base liquid. In this case, add some cold milk to your broken sauce and try whisking it in.

Enjoy life, stay healthy, and have a great weekend!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)